Press

Professor Harpalani Works with Team to File An Amicus Brief at the New York Court of Appeals

December 7, 2016

The Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality (“Korematsu Center”) recently filed an amicus brief with the New York Court of Appeals. An amicus brief is filed by a person or a group of people who are not a party to the lawsuit but who have a strong interest in the subject matter of the action.

In People v. Bridgeforth, the case at issue before the New York Court of Appeals, the Appellant asserted that the prosecutor improperly used his peremptory strikes to exclude all dark-skinned women from the jury. The Korematsu Center’s purpose with filing this particular amicus brief was to counsel the New York Court of Appeals to recognize that excluding an individual from jury service based on skin color violates the Equal Protection Clause of the United States and New York Constitutions.

The Korematsu Center defines its mission as being to “advance justice and equality through a unified vision that combines research, advocacy, and education.” In total, 32 law professors and 20 organizations (both bar and non-profit) have joined the amicus brief.

Savannah Law School Associate Professor Vinay Harpalani served as of counsel for the brief. SLS community, take a moment to thank Professor Harpalani for his pro bono work in ensuring this brief was submitted to the New York Court of Appeals.

If you’d like to read a full copy of the amicus brief, please click here.